The ground forces were the spearhead of Soviet military power. After the setbacks and defeats of 1941 and 1942, the Red Army had emerged as a formidable force, which had driven the Wehrmacht out of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and had seized Berlin. The Army’s 500 divisions were reduced to 175 after the war, but these remaining divisions were strengthened: the tank and mechanized divisions were allocated additional tanks and guns, while the infantry (rifle) divisions were reinforced with tanks, self-propelled guns, and motor transport. Their firepower and mobility were thus greatly
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